OPINION:
We will soon see an end to the weaponization of the American justice system against citizens of the United States whose only “crimes” have been holding the wrong political views.
With President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection, the Justice Department and the FBI will be forced to redirect their efforts back to their core missions of enforcing the rule of law and fighting actual crime. Mr. Trump will need his team in place to carry out that mission, which means the Senate must quickly confirm his nominees: Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general and Kash Patel as director of the FBI.
The world knows well that Democrats used the justice system as a political weapon against Mr. Trump, with partisan hack prosecutors and judges attempting to both bankrupt and jail him simply because he decided to again run for president of the United States.
Throughout the last four years, we have been witness to leftists using and abusing our system of justice against people who did nothing more than join a protest in Washington, D.C., folks who challenged school boards for failing to keep their children safe, and Catholics who are dedicated to the teachings of their religion. The DOJ and FBI have been complicit in these acts, branding those who have different political beliefs as “domestic terrorists” and seeking to destroy them while pretending that this form of “lawfare” is justified.
On Mr. Trump’s authority, and with the strong support of the American people, Ms. Bondi and Mr. Patel will put a stop to all that.
In the world of public service and law enforcement, few figures stand out as prominently as Ms. Bondi, who in eight years as Florida’s attorney general built a reputation as a tough-as-nails prosecutor and an unwavering advocate for justice. Her legacy as a determined fighter against crime and corruption underscores her qualifications for the highest role in safeguarding our legal system.
Ms. Bondi’s prosecutorial record reveals a seasoned professional who is not afraid to challenge entrenched systems or powerful adversaries. In Florida, she led efforts to combat human trafficking, targeting predators and rescuing victims. Her office successfully dismantled numerous trafficking rings, demonstrating her commitment to protecting society’s most vulnerable.
Her leadership also extended to tackling the opioid epidemic head-on. Ms. Bondi spearheaded lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies for their role in perpetuating addiction, resulting in significant settlements. These funds were reinvested into prevention and recovery programs, showcasing her ability to turn legal victories into community benefits. Ms. Bondi has been a strong defender of constitutional rights and a champion of religious freedom. She’s also been an advocate for the personal liberties of military personnel who sought exemptions from vaccine mandates.
Like Ms. Bondi, Mr. Patel is a heavyweight in this arena and has spent years fighting tirelessly against weaponized government and for restoring government institutions to their core responsibilities – keeping Americans safe. He is plainly qualified to run the FBI.
Mr. Patel has held critical national security positions across all three branches of the U.S. government. He was the chief of staff at the Department of Defense and served as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence, where he managed all 17 agencies within the Intelligence Community. Prior to these roles, he was a national security staffer on the National Security Council and an adviser for national security on the House Intelligence Committee, equipping him with the necessary experience to lead the FBI.
Mr. Patel also has significant experience with the Justice Department, having served as a national security prosecutor during the Obama administration. In this capacity, he successfully prosecuted terrorists and demonstrated his ability to work under both Democrats and Republicans. These contributions were recognized when he received an award from the DOJ for his role in prosecuting those responsible for the 2010 Uganda bombings.
He also served as a public defender, handling numerous complex cases in both federal and state courts, ranging from murder and drug cases to intricate financial crimes. In fact, he will be the first FBI Director to have a public defender background, thereby bringing with him a unique perspective on how due process violations can impact innocent individuals.
This team will be a stark contrast to the Biden administration’s approach of putting criminals first, the worst examples of which were President Biden’s commutations of the death sentences of violent predators who caused irreversible harm to our communities. And instead of training their sights on law-abiding Americans, Ms. Bondi and Mr. Patel will be focused on the people who commit real crimes – the actual criminals themselves.
I urge my colleagues across the Capitol in the Senate to do the right thing – confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general and Kash Patel as FBI director – and do it as quickly as possible.
• Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Republican, is the lone Wyoming member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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